The present invention relates generally to a system, method and apparatus for preventing motion sickness. More specifically the present invention relates to a system, method and apparatus for preventing motion sickness of a passenger traveling in a moving vehicle such as an automobile, boat, train, or an airplane.
Motion sickness relates to the sense of balance, equilibrium and spatial orientation. The sense of balance is controlled and maintained by intricate interaction of multiple parts of the human body, specifically, the inner ears (also called the labyrinth), the eyes, skin pressure receptors, muscle and joint sensory receptors, and the central nervous system. The inner ears monitor motion, such as turning and tilting. The eyes monitor where the body is in space (i.e. upside down, right side up, etc.) and also directions of motion. The skin pressure receptors, such as in the joints and spine, determine what part of the body is down and touching the ground or other surfaces. The muscle and joint sensory receptors determine which parts of the body are moving. The central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), processes all of the information from the four other systems to determine the spatial orientation and motion of the body.
People may be afflicted with motion sickness when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the other four systems. For example, an automobile passenger sitting in the rear seat of a moving car typically has a limited view of the road ahead of the car. The passenger's inner ears and skin receptors may detect the motion of travel however, the passenger's eyes cannot properly perceive the motion because of the obstructed view of the road ahead. As such the passenger's central nervous system receives conflicting messages regarding the passenger's motion, causing motion sickness.
In another example, a passenger in a train, airplane or boat may sense or feel relative motion, e.g. tilting left or right, but if there is no external stationary point of reference, such as the horizon or a tree, due to a lack of windows, the passenger will not be able to visually detect his or her own relative motion, and this may trigger motion sickness. Further, it has also been found that virtual reality simulators can cause motion sickness in certain people. In contrast to moving vehicles, in some virtual reality simulators, the user views the environment portrayed by the simulator as in motion while sitting in a seat that remains fixed. The inner ears do not sense the same motion and hence a conflicting message is received in the central nervous system. In other virtual reality simulators, the user wears a head-mounted display, essentially a helmet with a screen placed in front of the eyes. A computer uses a motion detector in the helmet to determine the orientation of the user's head and thus, what to display on the screen. Because of a slight time lag involved in detecting motion and in rendering the graphics, what the user sees does not always precisely match the motion of the user's head (or inner ears), often causing motion sickness.
Additionally, people having inner ear damage from a head injury or an infection can also be afflicted with motion sickness. A damaged inner ear does not send the same signals as a healthy inner ear. The conflicting signals regarding the sensation of motion and/or rotation may cause motion sickness.
It has been found that motion sickness affects a large number people, including children, who are not legally allowed to sit in the front seat of an automobile where the likelihood of being afflicted with motion sickness is lower. The symptoms of motion sickness can include a general feeling of being unwell (malaise), nausea or vomiting, or both, headaches, cold sweating and a pale appearance. Symptoms may alleviate when the motion stops; however, it has been found that for some people it can take a significant period of time for symptoms to subside. A particularly susceptible person may become used to the motion during extended trips, such as on a long car trip or cruise. However, it has been found that even though the symptoms may subside during the trip, when the trip ends, symptoms can reoccur.
There have been many attempts to prevent or alleviate the effects of motion sickness. One well known method is for a passenger traveling in a moving vehicle to look outside the moving vehicle at objects that are stationery. This allows the passenger to visually perceive his or her own relative motion and determine spatial orientation, hence preventing motion sickness.
It has been found that automobile drivers rarely are afflicted with motion sickness. This may be a result of the driver's continued concentration on driving the vehicle in order to properly navigate and traverse the road in a safe manner. The unintended benefit of the driver's concentration is to constantly perceive his or her own motion relative to the environment outside the automobile. Because the natural tendency for many passengers is to look forward, rather than out a side window, passengers in the rear seat of the automobile where the view of the road ahead is obstructed may get sick. Moreover, in today's automobiles, third row seating is commonplace, providing seating for passengers further back in the automobile where the view of the road ahead is even more obstructed. Additionally, vans and buses alike may have even more seating with obstructed and limited views of the road ahead. The number of potential persons afflicted with motion sickness grows with the amount of rows in any vehicle, including boats, trains and airplanes, where the passengers are even more removed from the view in front or outside of the vehicle.
Boaters often prevent the onset of motion sickness by focusing on a fixed object on land, such as a dock or a building. In open water it has been found that sea-sickness may be alleviated by focusing on the horizon, which is perceived as a fixed object to the boater on the deck of a boat. However, as in an airplane, and similar to passengers in the rear seat of a car, passengers traveling in the cabin of a boat have limited viewable area and may not be able to look upon fixed objects or the horizon.
There have been many attempts to prevent motion sickness that are the subject of the U.S. patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,428 to Kania discloses an apparatus having a sensor that detects a motion of an object and a sensory converter which converts the detected motion to corresponding sensory signals, which can be audio, white noise or video. The sensory signals are designed to alleviate motion signals by using varying audio frequencies and/or colors displayed to the user selected in proportion to the determined motion. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,649 to Parker, et al., discloses displaying an independent visual background via a head-mounted display with a visual reference corresponding to the perceptions of a person's vestibular system. Another attempt to prevent motion sickness is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,998 to Tromble which shows a vision occluding eye shield which completely blocks the peripheral vision of the wearer to the discernment of motion and which blocks most or all of the superior field of vision of the wearer. When worn by a passenger the device blocks perception of objects passing through the peripheral field of vision in the side windows and through the front window, while allowing the wearer to focus on tasks or objects within the vehicle by looking through the unoccluded portion.
The drawback of Kania and Parker is that they require the use of motion sensors, which can introduce a perceptible delay, which in turn, could render the device ineffective.
The drawback of Parker and Tromble, inter alia, is that they are intrusive as devices need to be worn by the user. As such, there exists a need for a system and method of preventing motion sickness that is not intrusive to the user.
There have also been many attempts to treat motion sickness medically, with pharmaceutical solutions and other medicinal treatments. Some preventative medications can be purchased without a prescription (e.g., Dramamine®, Bonine®, Marezine®). Stronger medicines such as tranquilizers and nervous system depressants usually require a prescription. The downside of using any of these medications includes the cost, the inconvenience, and the potential side effects.
Other medical solutions involve the use of magnetic or metallic bracelets and/or jewelry. Some jewelry is worn on pressure points in an attempt to alleviate motion sickness. It has been found however, that such devices have limited success in preventing motion sickness. As such there exists a need for an effective system and method for preventing motion sickness without using medications or medical devices.
The afore-mentioned problems, drawbacks, and disadvantages, in addition to others, are alleviated by the present invention disclosed herein where an object thereof is to provide a non-intrusive, non-medicinal, safe and effective system, method and apparatus for preventing motion sickness.